The Lord giveth...

Swami Yogananda Saraswati

and the Lord taketh away.

So it has been written in the Bible. The guru also giveth, but all that the guru taketh away is the dirt which we keep hidden in the dark corners of our consciousness. When this dirt, the debris and the cobwebs have been removed, then we can perceive the beauty and the light. All the guru takes away from us is the useless clutter in our mind, the many strange and often mouldy things which we keep therein. Why on earth do we keep them? Why on earth have we kept them? Because we do not know how to make a really 'clean sweep' of all the useless clutter which dulls our intellect - the strange idiosyncrasies, attachments, aversions and preconceived notions which make up our personality.

It is the grace of the guru which brings about this spring-cleaning of our consciousness, which opens wide the windows to let in fresh air and light, which removes the strange and often weird things which we have kept through the years and which colour our behaviour.

When this accumulated dross and tarnish is removed, the light of the spirit can burn and shine brightly. The mind becomes pure and one-pointed. Then we can go beyond the layers of our personality and see with the clear eye of wisdom the sum total of what we really are.

The grace of the guru flows in a never-ending stream to all who are receptive. By the grace of the guru the impossible becomes possible.